Texas chefs cook up a party in Cabo San Lucas

Updated 7:00 am, Friday, August 23, 2013

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 1of/20

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 20

Capella Pedregal's seaside restaurant, El Farallon, clings to the cliffs overlooking the Pacific in Cabo San Lucas.Diners have to watch out for occasional rogue waves that roar in and splash over the cliffs.

Capella Pedregal's seaside restaurant, El Farallon, clings to the cliffs overlooking the Pacific in Cabo San Lucas.Diners have to watch out for occasional rogue waves that roar in and splash over the cliffs.

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 2 of 20

The second annual Capella Pedregal Food & Wine Festival included a barbecue on the beach with beautifully set tables.

The second annual Capella Pedregal Food & Wine Festival included a barbecue on the beach with beautifully set tables.

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 3 of 20

Tropical Mezcal cocktails are served in terra-cotta vessels.

Tropical Mezcal cocktails are served in terra-cotta vessels.

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 4 of 20

Five renowned chefs grilled on the beach for Capella Pedregal's Food and Wine Festival.

Five renowned chefs grilled on the beach for Capella Pedregal's Food and Wine Festival.

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 5 of 20

Chef Yvan Mucharraz of the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Chef Yvan Mucharraz of the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 6 of 20

Houston's Philippe Schmit served up a beautiful amuse-bouche lobster salad in a shot glass with cactus, citrus, mint and cilantroat the Food & Wine Festival at the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas. less

Houston's Philippe Schmit served up a beautiful amuse-bouche lobster salad in a shot glass with cactus, citrus, mint and cilantroat the Food & Wine Festival at the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San ... more

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 7 of 20

Master chef Philippe Schmit created an amuse-bouche for the festival. Here's his description: lobster salad in a shot glass with mayonnaise, lobster oil and lobster reduction with tomato, avocado and mint; cactus gelee with cilantro and a light emulsion with cherimoya puree and espelette; plus red bean tuile with lobster coral. less

Master chef Philippe Schmit created an amuse-bouche for the festival. Here's his description: lobster salad in a shot glass with mayonnaise, lobster oil and lobster reduction with tomato, avocado and mint; ... more

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 8 of 20

The Capella Pedregal Food & Wine Festival is a great place to try tropical cocktails.

The Capella Pedregal Food & Wine Festival is a great place to try tropical cocktails.

Photo: Amy Bennett

Image 9 of 20

Festive appetizers were served up at the second annual Food & Wine Festival at the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas.

Festive appetizers were served up at the second annual Food & Wine Festival at the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas.

The Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas features a stunning beach-side pool. Houstonians can fly direct to Cabo on United Airlines.

The Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas features a stunning beach-side pool. Houstonians can fly direct to Cabo on United Airlines.

Photo: Robert Reck, Photographer

Image 15 of 20

The Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas offers access to a secluded beach and clear blue ocean. An infinity pool looks out over the waves of the Pacific.

The Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas offers access to a secluded beach and clear blue ocean. An infinity pool looks out over the waves of the Pacific.

Photo: Melissa Aguilar

Image 16 of 20

The rooms at the Capella Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas feature personal pools with a view of the Pacific.

The rooms at the Capella Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas feature personal pools with a view of the Pacific.

Photo: Capella, Photographer

Image 17 of 20

El Arco is Cabo San Lucas' landmark.

El Arco is Cabo San Lucas' landmark.

Photo: Melissa Ward Aguilar

Image 18 of 20

Take a quick water taxi ride from Cabo San Lucas' marina to the landmark, El Arco.

Take a quick water taxi ride from Cabo San Lucas' marina to the landmark, El Arco.

Photo: Melissa Ward Aguilar

Image 19 of 20

A skim boarder surveys the waves on the beach near the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas.

A skim boarder surveys the waves on the beach near the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas.

Photo: Melissa Aguilar

Image 20 of 20

Texas chefs cook up a party in Cabo San Lucas

1 / 20

Back to Gallery

CABO SAN LUCAS - "It's time to eat again," chef Kent Rathbun says as he prepares a porcini mushroom-truffle risotto. The group of fans and foodies assembled in the test kitchen of the Capella Pedregal have just finished breakfast. The night prior we had been treated to a smorgasbord of artisan cheeses, fruits, appetizers, wines and cocktails at El Farallon, the resort's restaurant clinging to the cliffs overlooking the Pacific.

But there are no protestations against another meal. We are here to eat. We also are here to see how the sausage is made at Capella Pedregal's second annual Food and Wine Festival. Five renowned chefs are cooking for us while we sip tropical cocktails and Duckhorn wines. This is heaven - as if Cabo's majestic ocean views weren't heaven enough.

Rathbun, whose restaurant empire includes the five-star Abacus in Dallas and Jasper's in The Woodlands, often travels to resorts with a foodie entourage. On a visit to Capella Pedregal, he and the resort's food and beverage director, Marco Bustamante, also a trained chef, got the idea to include other talented chefs and create a festival. They're joined here by Dean Fearing of Dallas' Fearing's restaurant; Tim Hollingsworth, former chef de cuisine at Napa Valley's French Laundry; master chef Philippe Schmit of Houston's Philippe Restaurant; and the resort's executive chef Yvan Mucharraz.

More Information

If you go

Capella Pedregal Food and Wine Festival

Date: July 9-13, 2014

Price: $4,380 for the four-night package; tax and service is additional.

Special: Capella Pedregal is offering its Unforgettable Summer rate of $425 per room, per night through Oct. 8.

"Just a little bit more truffle," Rathbun says more than once as he puts the finishing touches on the risotto. While he cooks, he spins a tale about a recent visit to the Vatican, where he had coffee with the pope. Sort of. And offers helpful cooking tips: "When you're making risotto, or paella, stock is key. Make chicken stock beforehand. It will make all the difference. Stay away from the salted stuff." Another helpful hint for squeezing lemons: "Cut the lemon on the side and squeeze. You won't get any seeds. The seeds are in the center."

The risotto is delicious, with a generous topping of shaved truffle.

As soon as the plates are whisked away, Fearing is regaling the group with stories while he whips up barbecue shrimp tacos with pickled red onion, mango salad and cilantro sauce.

Then we break for lunch before a tequila class in the afternoon. You get the idea.

Luckily, Capella Pedregal is on a pristine strip of beach, perfect for long walks along the roaring waves to the rocks at the tip of the peninsula. The shops of Cabo are beckoning just a short walk outside the hotel's private, chandelier-lined tunnel entrance. You'll find colorful Oaxacan embroidered textiles, pottery, Panama hats and Cabo Wabo T-shirts - all the standard tourist fare. Fine art galleries and a mall with several luxury shops are nearby.

The bustling marina is also within walking distance. It's fun to watch the boats come back with their big billfish catches. You can take a water taxi out to see Cabo's landmark, El Arco, and if the boat is fast and the captain is daring, you can jump the waves and get a view of Capella Pedregal from the water.

The resort has an excellent workout room overlooking those colossal waves, if walking isn't your thing; there are also yoga and Pilates classes.

But back to the food.

The chefs had planned a blow-out barbecue on the beach. The spread includes Schmit's amazing grilled red snapper stuffed with shrimp mousse, corn and lump crabmeat; Fearing's grilled quail, pickled okra and Texas field pea salad that would perfect for any outdoor dinner; Baja fish tacos; corn salsa; a Mexican version of fried pork rinds; and a refreshing spread of ices for dessert. Sammy Hagar, whose Cabo Wabo cantina is one of the town's hot spots, stops by to see his good friend Fearing.

By Day 2 of the cooking classes, we are all inspired. Hollingsworth and Mucharraz show how quick and easy it is to "cook" seafood with citrus, ceviche style. Schmit prepares Parisian Gnocchi with asparagus, chanterelle mushrooms and black summer truffle vinaigrette. This is fun in the kitchen.

The festival culminates in a formal dinner in the open-air Don Manuel dining room, spilling out onto the patio. Arrangements of hyrdrangeas and vegetables adorn the tables. Each chef has prepared a course, paired with wine and speeches. It's a fitting farewell to our food adventure. Was it as fun for the chefs?

"Trying to create great food and execute it in a total different environment is a little like 'Top Chef' with four different events and challenges," Schmit said. He was happy that he was able to get his foods and sauces through customs. "At the same time, it was amazing to be exposed to fresh local ingredients, thanks to chef Mucharraz and his team, like corn huitlacoche, fresh agave for cocktails, epazote herb and guanabana fruit." Schmit also discovered some great Mexican red wines: Sarafiel 2011 and Grand Ricardo 2011. Mostly, though, he was impressed with Pedregal.

The July Food and Wine Festival is an excellent time to visit Capella Pedregal, but Mucharraz's menus in El Farallon and the resort's signature Don Manuel should attract gastronomes all seasons. At El Farallon, patrons order from the fresh fish market counter and stop by the artisanal cocktail bar, while Don Manuel specializes in farm to table Mexican cuisine.